I have been working on After the Dream for two years now. I have had readers and more readers go through it. Some have made little suggestions or even significant recommendations for entire scene changes. I listened and shifted scenes and characters accordingly.
When I felt it was as good as I could get it, I sent it to a publisher and waited five months only to have it rejected. I asked right away if they could give me some kind of idea about what didn't work for them. Their response left me somewhat puzzled because it was so vague. Then recently, I had a good author in my writer's group go over it. Her feedback sounded like a much more specific and detailed version of what the publisher had sent me. And it left me reeling.
I've received and given the feedback that a story started in the wrong place, that a whole section should simply be cut. But to receive feedback that the entire first 100 pages were unnecessary and should be woven into flashbacks and such was something for which I was totally unprepared. She also said she would cut it down to one point of view character and round out some of the characters.
I had multiple reactions to this. One was, "Oh, that explains what the publisher meant." Another was, "Well, that would turn it into the stereotypical romance story just like everyone else's." Yet a third was, "Well, that shows me how to get it down to the word count I'm seeking." My emotions were all over the place because, although it's my story with which I can do as I like, I can't simply ignore feedback that so eerily echoes the publisher's. I am waiting for a local editor to set an appointment to read through my manuscript. If I do nothing, I will likely get the very same feedback all over again and learn nothing new.
On the other hand, I have a certain vision of what the heart of my romance novel is, and it's not just the standard once upon a time, boy meets girl. That is what would come of following this advice to the letter. I see my novel as at least as much about healing from trauma as it is about romance. If I cut the trauma entirely, it's not the same story. If I cut the dream of pursuing a fairy tale/stereotypical romance only to find that both can go very wrong if not carefully considered, I cut out the heart of the story. On the other hand, it's true that most people would struggle with that first segment. And if people don't get past that, they don't get to the part where the main character and the narrative come alive. And to me, the man's point of view is as important as the woman's in this story, especially with the fact that my second novel also uses both points of view.
I give the advice all the time to help people care about the main character as step one. Give them a reason to care, and they'll follow you to the ends of the world. I thought I had but clearly not. I have rewritten the first scene entirely to bring in the humor and the heart before launching the dream and nightmare. I have included most of the dream but only a small fragment of the nightmare, the part that matters most. I have also included the part where she seeks comfort from a trusted confidante. And now, alakazam, 80 pages of what was apparently drudgery becomes [I hope] 15-20 pages of meaningful backstory without extensive flashbacks. My overly long manuscript becomes about the right length. Now, to smooth it over and weave in the critical missing pieces. Here's hoping the local editor and readers approve.
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